Improvement in mode of ventilating and illuminating risers



UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL J. MG'JORMICIC, 0F YORK, N. Y., ASSIGOR TC LEWIS It.

CASE, 0F SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MODE 0F VENTILATING AND ILLUMINATING RISERS.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,788, dated June 2,1863.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MICHAEL J. MCCOR- MICK, of the city, county, andState of New York, have invented a new and useful InI- provement on aVentilating and Illuminating Riser 5 and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference beinghad tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

The nature of my invention consists in lnaking a riser of two part-s orthicknesses, one behind the other, with apertures in each, alternatelylilled with glass, so that, by sliding one, openings for air will bemade or closed at pleasure without seriously changing the amount oflight transmitted.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to de scribe its construction and operation.

I make my riser usually of two perforated metal plates, and arrange itfor connection with other parts ot' steps or stoops, as is now done withrisers for illuminating steps or plat-forms.

In the principal part of my riser I lill the alternate apertures oralternate rows ot' apertures with glasses, B B. Along the lower marginof this principal part (the front ot which is shown at Figure l) I makea row of small apertures, c cc, to allow any rain or dirt working inbetween the two plates to escape outward over the platform orstep.

The back plate or sliding part of my riser I make with apertures forglass and air, corresponding with the principalpart. The sliding part isof necessity shorter and also narrower than the principal part, but theapertures lled with glass, (see Fig. 2, B2B2,) and those unfilled, A A,correspond with those in the principal part. The lower edge ofthesliding plate is arranged torest lightly on theledge F, which isattached to the front part, but is sustained mainly by pins or bolts PP, with or without sheaves or rollers, attached to the main part throughslotsE Ein the sliding plate, allowing the same to be moved right andleft at will. 0n the inside of the sliding plate are a system ot'grooves, G G, Fig. 3, ruiming from top to bottom and between theapertures, to conduct down and oft' through the small openings c c c inthe main plate any rain or dirt which may be driven in between theplates. Corresponding grooves may also be advantageously made in theprincipal plate to correspond with these. Now,'when the riser is inplace, it can be readily worked by the hand or by any known device oflevers or cords and pulleys. When it is desired to have vent-ilation,the sliding part is moved until the unfilled apertures are oppositeeachother. Thus one-halt of the apertures are open to the admissionofair, while (as shown at Fig. 2) the glasses are also opposite eachother. Now, when it is desired to exclude the air or storm, the backplate is slid until the apertures filled with glasses in the slidingplate are opposite to the unfilled apertures in that ot' the principalplate, and the unfilled apertures in the sliding plate are opposite theglasses in the front plate, and the weather thus excluded, as sh own atFig. 3.

Risers of blank material, or of gratings open or glazed, have heretoforebeen made, also sashes behind open gratings. These, with the riseritself, have sometimes been hinged so as to let down and admit air, butall these methods are open to objection. The blank riser admits neitherlight nor air. The other plans admit dirt or accumulate it to be driveninto the apartment whenever the openings are unclosed, besides exposingthe premises to public view and to many nuisances and dangers. By mymethod the air is admitted through a great number ot' small apertures,and in such a way as to present an unobjec tionable appearance, and whenclosed gives perfect security against rain lor any nuisance. It isevident that circular rows of apertures may be arranged so as to let thesliding part move on a center, as with sliding ventilators for drafts tostoves, but I have fully described the method which I prefer.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The arrangement of a permanent perforated plate with a sliding platesimilarly perforated, the alternate apertures or rows of apertures beingfilled with glass, in the Inanner and for the purposes set forth.

2. The grooves G G upon the inside of one or bot-h plates, communicatingwith the openings 0 c c in the front plate, substantially as specied.

MICHAEL J. MOCORMICK. Witnesses: 1

J. K. INGALLs, T. C. GRAY.

